with only one way
to weigh. She weigh up to 38 Custom Pound.
Would date the scale to about 1856

MANCUR spring balance. The first
dated examples come from the mid 18th century. Commonly without a maker´s name. Two
suspension rings and two load hooks provide two weighing capacities, in pounds, kilograms,
or other units. Common size about 300 mm in overall length ( 12") Small and giant
versions known. Some examples have a single ring and hook. Used for rough weighing on
farms, in kitchens, on hunting trips for animals or hides, in Europe and America.

Of all the pieces of old weighing equipment which turn up, from time to
time, the so-called Mancur balance is the one most frequently
"discovered", and the one to which most attention is usually
given in any display of old weights and measures. Considering the
comparatively recent period to which it has been assigned, it is
surprising that so little is known about its origins, makers and peculiar
name. Commentators on the history of the spring balance have said that
large numbers of Mancur were made in America and Europe during the latter
half of the nineteenth century, and that they were used by farmers. Some
elderly British farmers can also testify to their use within living
memory, and one, who originally farmed in the West Country, told the
author that he knew the balance under the name of "stilliard".
Also, in England, country people called lt a "gipsy scale" until
recently. In France and Germany it was called a "crescent-moon
scale" (demi-lune; mondwaage) . Could it be that a French expression
was also the origin of the name mancur ? Perhaps it was a corruption of a
compound word or phrase derived from "main", signifying that lt
was hand-held or easily portable. The use of spring metal for balances was
recorded in the late l7th century and the sector, or Vee-spring type, is
known to have been In production around 1750. The helical type was being
manufactured by Richard Salter in West Bromwich, England, c1770, and, by
the turn of the century, steel strip was bent into various other shapes,
as weighing resistant. Mancurs which can be dated show that they were
developed much earlier than had hitherto been supposed. A well-made Mancur
was in the collection of instruments accumulated by George III, reputedly
as scientific ,toys' for the education of his children. It was catalogued
as ,Wiedemann's stilllard' and was added to the collection in the late
18th or early l9th century. Ernst Schneider described a German Mancur
balance of high quality, contained in a fitted box bearing the
coat-of-arms and initials of the Elector, Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein,
1743 - 1763, lt had removable suspension and load hooks stored in the
bottom of the box, which was covered with elaborately tooled red leather.
This Mancur weighed up to 6 center and was used on hunting expeditions.
Another Mancur hunting balance, described by J.S.T. Sehlars, had a
capacity of 550 pfund and was signed by Georg Sessler of Mainz, who was
recorded as working in 1752, and died in 1769. From this evidence the
Mancur must have been invented before 1763. The principle of the Mancur
was simple but ingenious. When the oval spring was pulled open by the
load, the indicator was moved upwards by the interaction of the two ends
of the spring. The indicator moved over a crescent-shaped brass plate
marked with either one or two sets of graduations. These varied according
to the capacity and units of weight, many being in kilograms. In English
examples known to the author, graduations ranged from 0 to 35lb to 0 to
60lb on the ,light' side ( i.e for use with the smaller hook and ring), to
0 to 180lb and 0 to 350lb on the heavy side for use with the large hook
and ring. Sub divisions on the light side were marked by a line at each
5lb and by diagonally spaced dots between the lines, at each 1 lb. On the
reverse, line divisions were marked at 10lb or 20lb intervals, with
intermediate dots marking each 2lb. A French catalogue of the 20th century
lists Mancurs with capacities of 50,100, 15O,200,300,or 400kg. They appear
to have been used in other countries, too. A Polish example is in the
Warsaw Museum, and a Russian one had graduations of 10 to l2Opud. As for
the construction of the balance, although most examples appear very
similar, at first sight, differences are detectable on closer examination.
There are differences in spring shapes and sizes, different indicators,
some of which are nicely cast, others are simply twisted from strips of
metal, and so on. This is not surprising in a hand-forged product where
differences in the strength of springs, and difficulties in setting the
indicator with the correct leverage, must have been considerable.
The most common Mancur balance had an oval spring about l00 mm high (4
ins), and had two suspension rings and two load hooks. However, some
examples had only one ring and hook, like the small one only 83mm high (3
1/4 ins) or the giant example 280mm high (11 ins) by P. Dumaine. This
balance had an overall length of 550mm (21 1/2 ins) Several did not have
an oval spring, but had elegantly angled ends, one by M. Böelle of
France, being dated 1787. George Salter & Co., of West Bromwich, made
Mancur balances of a different construction. The spring, instead of being
made from a flat strip of metal, was round in section and had loops formed
into it for the ring and hooks. This design was unusual in having only one
suspension ring which was used with both hooks. It was illustrated in the
Salter & Co catalogue of 1893, and an example can be seen in the Avery
Historical Museum. surprisingly, Mancur balances were still being made in
the mid 2Oth century; new ones were being offered for sale in Austria as
late as 1970. They were also shown in the catalogue of the famous French
manufacturer, Testut of Paris, around 1965, where they were listed for use
as tension testers. Mancurs were listed for kitchen use in the Crowden
& Garrod catalogue, London 1895. Presumably, they were intended for
large country houses and restaurants, where large carcasses of meat were
handled. They were said to be used in England by farmers for weighing
pigs, sheep and bales of hay; in America for weighing animal skins, which
led to the name "hide-scales"; and in Europe for hunting and for
farm use.
EQM 2 1982 thanks to M. Stevenson & M. Crawforth